Poppy Cannon (August 2, 1905 – April 1, 1975) was a South African-born American author, who at various times the food editor of the ''

Ladies Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

'' and ''

House Beautiful ''House Beautiful'' is an interior decorating magazine that focuses on decorating and the domestic arts. First published in 1896, it is currently published by the Hearst Corporation, who began publishing it in 1934. It is the oldest still-publish ...

'', and the author of several 1950s cookbooks. She was an early proponent of

convenience food Convenience food, also called tertiary processed food, is food that is commercially prepared (often through processing) to optimise ease of consumption. Such food is usually ready to eat without further preparation. It may also be easily por ...

: her books included ''The Can Opener Cookbook'' (1951) and ''The Bride's Cookbook'' (1954). Other books included ''The President's Cookbook: Practical Recipes from George Washington to the Present'' (1968).

Career

Her writing style was distinctive and has been described as "relentless." Her recipes might call for such measurements as "a splotch of wine," "a flurry of coconut," or "a great swish of sour cream," and she once advised readers that they could "rassle a lemon pie in a jiff" with "the new wonderstuff called Clovernook." She was a contemporary of

James Beard James Andrews Beard (May 5, 1903 – January 23, 1985) was an American chef, cookbook author, teacher and television personality. He pioneered television cooking shows, taught at The James Beard Cooking School in New York City and Seaside, ...

and

Julia Child Julia Carolyn Child (née McWilliams; August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American cooking teacher, author, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public with her debut cookbook, '' ...

, and she collaborated with

Alice B. Toklas Alice Babette Toklas (April 30, 1877 – March 7, 1967) was an American-born member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century, and the life partner of American writer Gertrude Stein. Early life Alice B. Toklas was born in San F ...

on ''Aromas and Flavors of the Past and Present''.

Personal life

She was born Lillian Gruskin in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

as part of a large Lithuanian Jewish community in South Africa. Her parents had been called Robert and Henrietta Gruskin, but had apparently changed their names to Robert and Marion Whitney at the time of their immigration to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania, in 1908. Her sister

Anne Fogarty Anne Fogarty (February 2, 1919 – January 15, 1980) was an American fashion designer, active 1940–1980, who was noted for her understated, ladylike designs that were accessible to American women on a limited income.Claude Philippe Claudius Charles Philippe, also known as Philippe of the Waldorf or The Host of the Waldorf, (10 December 1910—24 December 1978) was a British-born French-American restaurateur, catering director, hotelier and businessman, who was the hotel ba ...

of the

Waldorf Astoria New York The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultze ...

, with whom she had a daughter, Claudia. In 1949 she became the second wife of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

leader

Walter Francis White Walter Francis White (July 1, 1893 – March 21, 1955) was an American civil rights activist who led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for a quarter of a century, 1929–1955, after joining the organi ...

(with whom she had an affair while he was married to his first wife, Leah Gladys Powell White) at a time when such a marriage was viewed as scandalous, not least within the

Black community Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...

, some of whom viewed White's marriage to a white woman as a betrayal. The couple lived in New York until White's death in 1955. She wrote a biography of White, ''Gentle Knight'', published the following year. (According to the family history of her second husband, he was descended from the ninth president.) Cannon died on April 1, 1975 after falling from the 23rd floor balcony of her apartment in New York City. She was 69 years old, and had been in failing health in recent years.

References

External links

Walter Francis White and Poppy Cannon Papers
Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. * https://web.archive.org/web/20051231151734/http://www.wellesley.edu/womensreview/archive/2004/06/highlt.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20060306061353/http://www.harpercollins.com/global_scripts/product_catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=0066209730&tc=ai * https://web.archive.org/web/20061001151617/http://www.daguerre.org/resource/dagnews/1999/06-29-99.html * https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/18/books/lime-jell-o-marshmallow-cottage-cheese-surprise.html contains birth date {{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Poppy 1905 births 1975 deaths American food writers Jewish American writers American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent American people of South African-Jewish descent South African Jews South African emigrants to the United States South African people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Deaths from falls 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American Jews

Career

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links